Four passengers in a Toyota Corolla were taken to hospital Saturday night after a two-car collision at the intersection of Fairfield Road and Linden Street.
Victoria police investigation found that the vehicle, which was travelling north on Linden, unsafely entered the intersection and was broadsided by a Bluebird cab travelling east on Fairfield just before 10:30 p.m.
The Corolla was sent onto its side and came to rest against a tree. Two of the four passengers were rendered unconscious in the crash. The driver and two passengers in the cab were shaken, but uninjured. The taxi passengers helped right the car, but firefighters that arrived on scene had to use the Jaws of Life to free the four people trapped in the car.
The driver, a 21-year-old Saanich man, fled the scene immediately, witnesses said. He was later spotted getting out of a taxi outside his residence by Saanich police and was arrested. He faces possible charges of fleeing the scene of an accident and impaired driving and was released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.
The Corolla passengers, two males and two females, were sent to hospital with varying injuries. Two were treated and released, while two remain in hospital, one with very serious injuries.
An incident unrelated to the crash saw a youth injured in an encounter with a police K-9 unit that was searching for the Corolla driver. The youth was taken to hospital, treated and released.
The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner was notified by VicPD and will be conducting an external review. Police would not divulge how the individual became involved in the search for the driver.
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